Trying to Survive
by strangerthingshavehappened
Summary: Meet Adelina. She's fifteen, smart, and did I mention she's Peeta's sister? When her older brother Peeta is thrown into the terrible Hunger Games, Adelina tries to survive back home in District Twelve. She has to deal with her family, her witch of a mother, and not to mention constantly worrying about her brother. Takes place in THG.


**So, I started writing this a couple months ago, and I was like: "Post? No post. Post? No post." **

**Yeah. So, I hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE HUNGER GAMES!**

**P.S. This also contains a LOT of spoilers; so if none of you have read the book or seen the movie (which I strongly doubt) then don't read until you do so.**

**Just a precaution!**

* * *

_Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. _

_-Herbert Hoover_

* * *

When I was younger, I used to have nightmares. Every night, it would be about something different. I don't remember exactly what all my dreams were; all I know is that they frightened me, to the point where I used to get out of bed and walk to the other side of the room and crawl into my brother's bed.

At first my brother didn't understand. He didn't know why I crawled into his bed every night sobbing and shuddering. Then I finally told him.

So, in order to get me to fall asleep again, he would tell me stories. Wonderful stories, about princes and princesses or fluffy rabbits with an ass' ears. Eventually these stories would lull me to sleep, and my brother would carry me back into my bed.

I had stopped having these nightmares around the age of ten, and I hadn't slept in my brother's bed since. Now I am fifteen.

* * *

I open my eyes, staring at the wood ceiling above me. At first I don't know where I am. Then I hear the soft sounds of my brother's breath beside me. I take deep breaths to slow my heartbeat, but it doesn't work. Tears start sliding down my face.

I slide out of bed and walk to the bathroom. I turn on the sink and splash cold water on my face. The dream starts coming back to me and more tears run down my face. I try to get them to stop, but I can't. They just keep coming.

I walk out of the bathroom and back to the room I share with my brother. I lay on my bed and close my eyes, but the dream keeps replaying in my head as I try to fall asleep.

"P-Peeta!" I clasp a hand over my mouth as I sit up. I've probably awoken the whole house. My brother sits up and turns to me.

"Are you alright?" he whispers. I debate nodding and then more tears come down my face. I choke on a sob and shake my head.

"N-no…" I whisper back. Peeta slides out of his bed and walks over to mine, sitting beside me. He places an arm around me and lets me sob into his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks. I can't respond. I'm too busy sobbing. I wipe away some of my tears and look up at him.

"R-reaping Day." I manage to spit out. Peeta's eyebrows furrow and I take a shaky breath. "Y-you were chosen." Peeta nods.

"Come on, there's nothing to be worried about. There's a one in a million chance that I'll be chosen."

"There's still a chance." Peeta doesn't say anything. There isn't anything to say. We either get chosen or we don't.

It really is a matter of life and death.

* * *

I wait in the fifteen year old girls group. I see my brother in the sixteen year old boys group. Our eyes lock on each other and Peeta gives me a wary smile. I frown in return. He's trying to be optimistic. How can you be optimistic when you could potentially die?

A woman named Effie Trinket comes onto the stage. She's from the Capitol. Every year they send someone to pull out two names from two bowls. One for a boy and one for a girl. The people in the Capitol are very…elaborate. They die their hair and skin different colors and put so much hairspray and product in their hair that I wonder if it suffocates their brain cells. Probably. No one in their right mind would ever be excited for the Hunger Games.

But this woman is; just like all the other people in the Capitol. I can see her lips moving, but I don't hear any words. Just a ringing in my ears. Finally the ringing stops and I hear: "May the odds be ever in your favor." I scoff. Effie reaches into the girl's bowl to pull out a name.

"Primrose Everdeen." I felt a knot twist in my stomach as I see a small girl walk slowly up to the stage. It's her first year; that's obvious.

"I volunteer as tribute!" The voice rings through the crowd and I hear many people inhale sharp breaths. Who would be stupid enough to do that?

I stand on my toes to get a better look at the girl. She has brown hair and olive skin, much like the people who live in the Seam, the poorest part of District Twelve. That's when I realize.

This girl is Katniss Everdeen. She's Primrose's sister and the girl my brother has loved since he was five. I glance over at my brother and see the pained look on his face; he doesn't want anything bad to happen to her.

Katniss walks onto the stage, where she states her name. Then Effie pulls out a name from the boy's bowl.

"Peeta Mellark."

I bite my lip to hold in my scream. I glance at our older brother, Whitt. He's eighteen, so he could volunteer as tribute. He doesn't utter a single word. Of course. Why would he? It's not like anyone besides me cared for Peeta. I could tell what my mother was thinking.

'One less mouth to feed.'

I want to run up to Peeta to prevent him from going on stage, but I can't. My legs won't allow me to move. Tears streak down my face as I watch Peeta go on stage. I don't bother to wipe them away.

* * *

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. ― C.S. Lewis

* * *

**First chapter is done! Yay! I hope you all liked it! Please let me know! (That's your cue to review, by the way) (:**


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